Batman v Superman

Okay first off, this isn't a "OMG I was wrong! Batman v Superman movie is aces! Boom" type of post. Im not going to pretend I enjoyed it to appear cool because most everyone else don't like it. Those games are nit for me, there is no point. Batman v Superman is most definitely not a POW! Best ever Batman!! THWAK! Take that you Marvel boys!
Every movie made dealing with our beloved superheroes (are these modern gods in an age bored with sandal footed prophets?) will have a mish mash of good and bad, a helping of self indulgence, camp villains and the obligatory wise butler somewhere in the wings (under the cape?)

**** Switches off BatHype ****

I went into this movie with the BatBlinkers fully on (and yeah, I'll drop the Bat thing now) promise). If you read my older posts, you can read for yourself my first thoughts on Affleck stepping into the Bat boots (sorry ahem) and I stand by it. A bit. Michael Keaton is still my favourite Bats but Ben Affleck is now my Bruce Wayne. True story.
Its no secret that Snyder came into the movie with Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns graphic novel in mind and it shoes in Affleck's hero. This isn't a fresh faced Caped Crusader eager to flex his muscles and right the worlds wrongs. Its an older Batman who has seen Gotham feed on its weak and turn good men bad. Affleck has the air of haunted, his eyes tired not as hungry.
Its not popular with some comic fans but im excited about future instalments (should Ben Affleck choose to be part of the next one of course).

In short then, from the wreck we comic fans feared, both superheroes complimented each other rather well (though others will hold onto their disaster film). Im fortunate enough that although I love the DC/Marvel worlds, im not as hardcore as some and able to watch the films as films, and not obsess over tiny (or even bigger) details. More power to those who do.

One of the cool things I like about these superhero films are the subtle hints at future characters and storylines. The suit covered with graffiti gave me high hopes that the Red Hood will be coming into the mix at some point (Jason Todd was the second Robin).



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*insert coin* Kung Fury!

Regular readers will know that I love retro videogames and 1980s action movies. Good thing they both seem to be regular haunts of the retro necromancers, bent on breathing another life into their pulpy neon dashed bodies. Ace.

If you've played the Far Cry 3 DLC Blood Dragon, this is familiar ground. Kung Fury is a balls out, OTT homage to 1980s games like Streets of Rage and Double Dragon. It was crowd funded through Kickstarter and stars a maverick cop who travels back in time to kill big boss, Hitler.
The mini movie (see above) features vikings and dinosaurs and hefty dollops of cheesy one-liners a la Commando.

GunPlay: Boys @ Work

Not so long ago, in the drunk and not so distant (but very distorted) past, I used to hate FPS (first person shooter) videogames. Well maybe 'hate' is a tad strong word but certainly I was no big fan of the genre. Oddly enough (seeing as the player is playing as if they were 'in the boots' of the hero/villain), that perspective didn't work for me. I always felt out of the action if you get my drift? For me it was third person action games like Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil that roped me in.
I felt much more attached to a character who I could see/control in front of me than something like Call of Duty or Killzone where all you ever saw was the barrel of a gun and if you were lucky, a pair of dodgy looking feet. Far from looking realistic, it was like a ghostly gun floating around, mopping up the bad guys. I played them of course, who didn't love those early Medal of Honour games on PS1? But as good as they were, my heart was always looking for the next Tomb Raider and more badass third action shenanegans.
Then something *cue sinister music* changed, ooh around halfway through the Playstation 3 life cycle. I started picking up more and more FPS games and so began a new found appreciation of the genre. And it wasn't the big hitters that turned me on either. Nope, the first person shooters which had me waving the boomstick were titles that didn't set the charts on fire; Resistance, Dead Island, Duke Nukem Forever and Bioshock. (Okay Bioshock was a pretty huge deal but the others weren't exactly dripping with awesome).

Anyway enough waffle, there have been some ace shooters released these last few years. And here are my gaming gold FPS. If you are a fan of videogames and guns, all titles below should be on your shelf.

1. Dishonored

Corvo Attano is a legendary assassin who sports a very cool metal skull type mask. He looks seriously badass, especially when combined with powers such as bending time and the ability to summon a freaking plague or rats to devour his hapless victims to the bone. The guy is a killing machine, pure and simple. Now some games have great ideas but fall short on being average to play. Dishonored is not average. Its a 10/10 Must Play before you die.

2. Bioshock Infinite

Now the underwater city of Rapture with its 1950s theme made the first Bioshock stand way above other shooters of its time, and im pleased to report that Columbia (this time a city in the clouds) is just as good. Probably more so due to being able to use sky hooks to deal deth from above. Its a genuinely great story too with not one but two fantastic baddies to battle; a motorised patriot George Washington, and the sinister Songbird.

3. Thief

Looks bloody fantastic on Playstation 4, and a looters dream with an abundance of trinkets to find/steal. Its quite a thrill lurking in the shadows of houses of olde worlde London (or the City as its called here). Thief is only let down by having one of the most boring stories ive seen in a while in a videogame, and you don't much care for the characters either (or was that just me?)

4. Outlast

I dare you to play this game late at night with the lights out. Its creepy and disturbing, and when you are armed with only the light from a camcorder (no weapons here sorry) Outlast leaves you at the mercy of crazed asylum inmates who roam the dark corridors and basements, leaving you feel extremely exposed to murderous attacks. Its f**king terrifying and anyone who says otherwise is puling yer plonker.

5. Far Cry 3

I hated Far Cry 2. Absolutely loathed it in fact, so was happy when UbiSoft hit it out the park for the third outing. F**k me, you can even fight sharks and crocodiles and turn them into wallets! Oh and use hand gliders from the highest parts of the map. And the map? Its massive, filled to the brim with coo stuffs to discover.

Expendables 3

Boom! This the most appropriate word I can use to sum up the new Expendables 3 movie. Like the previous two, this is a rip roaring romp which is all gun and chiselled heroes. What else can you expect when one of Hollywood's icons, Sylvester Stallone decides to make movies that capture all of the testosterone fuelled magic of 1980s action films? Its like an adrenaline shot to the bollocks.

Brat's Top 2013 Movies

Number 1: Yeah!

We had a lot of decent movies in dear old (or 'rotten old' depending on your year) 2013 and guess what? Yup that's right boyo, Brat News saw them all. We don't take entertainment lightly here you know. And things like this demand a list! So here is (in my humble opinion of course) the best of the Hollywood bunch, including those where I expected aceness but instead were lamest.


1. Dallas Buyers Club (A modern masterpiece)

2. Prisoners (Ace film, Ace)

3. Captain Phillips (Brilliant, tense cinema)

4. Killing Season/Machete Kills (Being cheeky with joint positions but hey, my list)

5. Rush (F1 Ace)



Close but no cigar ~

The Butler (Ooh suits you sir!)

Life of Pi (Surprise hit for this Brat)

2 Guns (Bang bang hot to trot)

Pain & Gain (What can I say? I love Wahlberg)

Would You Rather (Oh yes! Some fine horrortastic dares)


And here belongs the "I Iz Disappoint" movies ~

The Wolverine (Aww Hugh, you were doing so well with Prisoners)

The Sweeney (Utter shyte, Thaw spinning in grave)

Iron Man 3 (Needing WD40 methinks)

World War Z (Arm Pitt ruins an epic comic yarn)

Rambo Trilogy Game Trailer

Bring on the explosive bows!

Yo 1980s action movie fans, here's something to tickle yer guns! Bad ass Green Beret, John J. Rambo is coming to a current gen console near you next year (Jan 17th) thanks to British publisher Reef Entertainment. And despite all the naysayers predicting the game to be a sloppy and average affair, I personally think its going to be a blast. Admittedly im a Rambo fanboy who regularly cracks open one of the movies (even Rambo III) to accompany my Saturday night drinks, so I will be easier to please, but come on! Watch the video trailer avbove, even grumpy old Col. Trautman would think this game looks decent.

Craig Lewis, commercial director at Reef said: "We have big ambitions for Reef and the Rambo IP is the first step in establishing us as a worldwide player. Rambo will be a triple-A title on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC and will capture the gritty atmosphere and full-on action which made the Rambo movies so successful."

Let us hope so mate, I am positively drooling at the thought of being to able to play through the meatier bits of the Rambo trilogy, while guzzling a few (too many) brewskies. Hunting cops through dense forest? Raining down those explosive arrows on hapless soldiers in Vietnam? Pass the bandana and elephant sized survival knife, let's do this!

Expendables 3: Good News

Lurch is gone

Expendables 3 just got better now that its been revealed that Nic 'Crappy' Cage is OUT of the movie. Thank f**k for that, im not a huge fan of these movies, in my opinion they could have been so much better, but having lantern headed Cage in it would have killed it stone dead before it hit the track for me. Suffice to say, I am most definitely NOT a fan of Cage. "Leaving Las Vegas" was okay but I enjoyed that because of the subject it dealt with (alcoholism) rather than crumple chops' performance in the film. And Elizabeth Shue's spectacular ass of course.
Everything else this lump has ever done (and I must admit, ive not seen much of his work as he makes my skin crawl) is very meh. Average at best. And I can never forgive him for ruining Ghost Rider, one of my favourite comic book characters of all time. Con Air had a wonderful idea behind it until Cage appeared looking like the love child of Worzel Gummidge and Lurch from The Addams Family. Hearthrob he is NOT, good actor even less. Also these Expendables movies are all about 80s action legends for me (with some exceptions like Jason Statham) and the Gummidge/Lurch hybrid is not welcome. So when I read the news earlier that Expendables 3 would be knickerless (Nic-er-less geddit?) I was one happy motherf**ker.

Ozombie: Bin Laden Returns!

This looks just the movie for a 'pop the beers' night! Zombie Taliban? It could be better than the zombie Nazis in Sno.